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Get to know SleepTank

  • SleepTank is a scientific approach to wearables and sleep hygiene. The app, downloadable to smart watch and mobile phone, provides ongoing information about your sleep health and actionable information for sleep. SleepTank is a tool to help monitor sleep debt and plan sleep to be mission ready.

    • It is not a tool to determine your current effectiveness or mental speed – other factors are involved.

    • It is not a fitness-for-duty test.

    • It does indicate performance vulnerability – increased risk of mental errors.

    SleepTank Provides Actionable Information on Sleep

    • Have I had enough sleep over the long run?

    • Am I rested enough for duty?

    • How long will it be before I am dangerously in need of sleep?

    • Do I need to take a nap?

    • How soon do I need to nap and how long does the nap need to be?

    SleepTank Provides Ongoing Sleep Health Indicators

    • Considers the amount & quality of prior sleep

    • Considers how long a person has been awake

    • Considers personal sleep “goal” or need

    • Shows current status: time left in SleepTank

    • Shows history of daily SleepTank status

    • Recommends nap length to restore sleep health

  • There are three apps for SleepTank: an iOS mobile app, a Fitbit clockface, and a Fitbit watch app. You will need a Fitbit account to use SleepTank.

    SleepTank mobile app: this app is only compatible with iOS platforms.  You will need to download the app to an iPhone, iPad, or other iOS device for this study. The SleepTank iOS app can be downloaded directly from the Apple App Store: SleepTank on the App Store (apple.com)

    SleepTank Fitbit Clockface: The Fitbit clockface is available in the Fitbit Clocks gallery and will work for those who have created a SleepTank account in the mobile app. The clockface provides your SleepTank percentage and warning times right on the watch face. The clockface must be downloaded from the Clocks gallery within the Fitbit app. The Clockface can also be downloaded here: SleepTank™ Clockface by IBR inc. | Fitbit App Gallery

    SleepTank Watch app: The Fitbit watch app is a second watch-based app. It provides the same information as the clockface, but the information is located in a secondary app on the watch. If you would like to have the watch app instead of the Clockface, please contact sleeptank@ibrinc.org

  • The SleepTank apps work with Fitbit devices to access your sleep data. In order to pair your SleepTank account with your Fitbit account, you must provide your Fitbit login credentials. This will authorize SleepTank to use your sleep data to calculate your SleepTank levels.

  • iOS Mobile app: The app will prompt you to enter your Fitbit credentials when logging in, or if the authorization has expired. Press “connect to Fitbit” and you will be routed to a page that will allow you to provide your Fitbit credentials and permissions.

    Clockface and Watch app: Fitbit credentials must be entered on the Settings page of the Clockface and Watch face. Selecting the option under “Login to Fitbit” will allow you to enter your Fitbit account credentials.

    When sleep is insufficient to support brain function for an upcoming job, it provides actionable guidance to recover.

    When sleep is insufficient to support brain function for an upcoming job, it provides actionable guidance to recover.

  • The SleepTank app uses your sleep event data from Fitbit. This includes the start and end time of your sleep period, the minutes of sleep, and minutes awake throughout the night. These data are used to calculate your SleepTank percentage. SleepTank will also use your Fitbit Sleep Goal. In some cases, such as if you consented to participate in a research study using SleepTank, SleepTank will download your daily steps and calories burned.

  • When you first open the SleepTank app, you will be prompted with a signup page. Enter your email address and create a password, then tap “Sign Up” to register for a free SleepTank account. You must have an account to use the app.

  • When you open the SleepTank® app, but you are not logged into your account, you will be prompted to login on the signup page. At the bottom of the page, you can tap “Login” to take you to the login page. Enter your SleepTank® account email and password to login.

  • From the main app screen, tap the menu button on the top left and choose “logout”. Closing the app will then ensure you have logged out.

  • Your SleepTank is a representation of your alertness based on your recent sleep history. Our proprietary algorithm calculates your SleepTank based on how long you’ve been awake, and your sleep for the past few days. When you sleep, your tank fills up and while you’re awake, your tank depletes.  Ideally, your SleepTank will be at close to 100% when you first wake up and will be around 33% when you go to bed.  When the value goes below that value, you are becoming vulnerable to cognitive impairment.

  • SleepTank provides 3 warning levels for you.
     

    Bedtime:  A Bedtime warning occurs when the tank level is depleted to about 33%. This indicates a need for sleep to avoid performance impairments. The Bedtime warning is the latest reasonable bedtime but should only be followed if you can get a full night of sleep before preparing for the next day. It may be better to go to bed earlier, if possible, to maintain a consistent pattern.
     

    Critical: A critical SleepTank warning indicates sleep debt approximately equal to the impact of a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.05, a meaningful impairment. Ideally, you should go to sleep or take a nap.
     

    Empty: an empty SleepTank warning occurs when sleep debt is similar to 24 hours of wakefulness, about equal to a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.01. You should go to bed or take a nap.

  • The SleepTank history page tracks the range of your SleepTank everyday as a bar chart. The History page is useful for identifying trends. Each bar reflects the maximum and minimum of the SleepTank for a day.  As the bars move down –your SleepTank is starting and ending lower – indicating an accumulation of sleep debt over days and a need for more sleep. If the bars are trending up, then you’re increasing the range of your SleepTank, indicating a good level of sleep.

  • The Nap Planner screen shows your SleepTank level over the next 24 hours. The colors of the line indicate when you will hit various warning levels.  It allows you to add a future nap and see how that nap will affect your SleepTank. To add a nap, tap the grey box to choose the nap duration. Then slide the box along the timeline to your desired nap time. The line graph will change to should you how the nap impacts your SleepTank levels.  The objective is to move the green area on the graph line further into the future so that you are not impaired when on duty.

  • The SleepTank will use the most recent sleep event from your Fitbit data. However, if you change any sleep events in your Fitbit app or add any sleep logs before the current wakeup time listed under your SleepTank circle, that sleep will not be incorporated into your tank level.
     

    To include those sleep events, you must rebuild your SleepTank. This will rebuild your SleepTank based on the last seven days of sleep data.
     

    To rebuild your tank, go to the menu and select “Rebuild SleepTank”. Then on the main screen, pull down to refresh.

  • Your sleep goal can be set in the Fitbit or SleepTank app. The goal refers to how much actual sleep you think you need to feel fully refreshed. This refers to actual sleep, and not the time you spend in bed. This goal will impact how quickly your SleepTank depletes when you’re awake– those with lower sleep goals will have a SleepTank that depletes more slowly. A good default goal is 8 hours.

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